CAD systems (Good,bad and ugly)

[Stormrider]

Could anyone give me their opinions of the pros and cons of using CAD systems for design?

Thanks for your help

[CGN]

No cons, just pro's (leaving out the fact that you have to learn the sofwtare and understand the sofwtare on what is capable of do for you) but learning is part of any task, draftig with pens, do maths on your head..etc..

[Tim B]

If there are any cons, they are generally software bugs, or disagreements between you and the interface. Naturally, the software concerned must be capable of doing the intended job. There are plenty of systems around and it is not hard to find a good one (Quite a lot of people tend to use Rhino, though it will not yet run under linux). Be careful that it is possible to draw something that cannot be built. Generally, I agree with CGN. the capability to consider the object in three dimensions, and get useful data out of it at the click of a button is extremely useful.

Cheers,

Tim B.